"Sigh."
Faced with the hand practically poking his face, Kael resigned himself and reached out to hold it.
"You really know how to take a mile once I give you an inch."
Kael's large, warm palm completely enveloped Amber's small hand.
Feeling the warmth spreading from their contact, Amber couldn't help but giggle to herself.
Anders could never resist it when she acted cute.
...Anders?
Amber blinked, stunned.
Why had that name popped into her mind again just now?
Anders... Anders...
That unfamiliar yet strangely familiar name... where had it come from?
Kael, walking in front, didn't notice anything off about her.
Compared to the game, real-life Dragonspine was significantly different.
Kael had been trekking through the endless snow for quite a while, but hadn't seen a single frozen boar.
He could feel Amber's hand growing colder and colder in his palm.
Looks like that's it for today. If they kept searching like this, Amber really might not be able to hold out.
Just as Kael was about to give up, he spotted a cluster of huge ice blocks ahead.
Looking closer, each crystal-clear block of ice had a frozen boar trapped inside.
Found them!!
Amber shouted in excitement, "Kael! Look! Are those frozen boars!?"
"Yeah."
Kael cautiously scanned the surroundings.
Where there were so many frozen boars, there was usually a Great Snowboar King lurking nearby.
But he wasn't greedy today. He just wanted to take one back.
Surely that wouldn't trigger the boss, right?
"Amber, help me melt the ice with your Flaming Arrow. I'll take down the boar. Just one—we leave the rest untouched."
Kael planned to memorize this spot. From now on, this would be his meat stash.
Anytime he needed Mora, he could come back and hunt.
"Got it!"
Amber raised her bow and fired a Charged Shot.
The flaming arrow struck the nearest block of ice.
As the fire melted through it, a wild boar burst free, charging straight at them.
Kael timed it perfectly and activated his Elemental Skill—
"Thunder Arc!"
A scythe-shaped bolt of lightning slashed across the air and struck the boar dead-on.
The boar collapsed instantly.
Done!
Kael stepped forward a few paces, preparing to lift the boar and call it a day—
"ROAR!!!"
A thunderous bellow echoed from deeper within the snowfield.
Kael's eyes widened. He immediately recognized that sound—
Great Snowboar King.
Seriously!? What a stingy boss!
There were so many boars here—he only killed one, and it still got mad!?
A monstrous boar, as big as an elephant, thundered out from the blizzard, glaring at Kael and Amber with a furious snarl.
"Heavenly Thunder Strike!"
Kael unleashed his elemental skill at the charging king.
A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the massive beast.
But instead of falling, the Great Snowboar King only paused briefly—then let out an even louder roar.
"Watch out!"
Kael's attack had only enraged the boss.
It entered its Enraged State and summoned an Avalanche of Falling Ice.
Icy spikes rained down.
Kael dashed repeatedly, narrowly dodging the falling icicles.
"Amber! You okay!?"
"I dodged it! Don't worry!"
With the ice failing to hit, the boar snorted and kicked at the ground—
It was prepping for a Charge Attack!
Kael shouted, "Amber, throw Baron Bunny over there!"
"On it!"
Baron Bunny landed at the Snowboar King's feet and exploded, igniting the ground in a Sea of Fire.
Kael knew that, since they were on a snowy mountain, the Pyro effect wouldn't last long. He immediately followed up with consecutive Thunder Arc strikes.
Scythe-shaped lightning slashed into the burning terrain.
Overloaded reactions exploded with violent force, hurling shockwaves in all directions.
The snow instantly evaporated into thick mist.
As the smoke cleared, they saw the Great Snowboar King lying unconscious on the ground—injured by the massive blast.
Kael watched its stomach slowly rising and falling, indicating it was still breathing.
"Amber, shoot a few more arrows at its head to finish it off."
Amber nodded and let loose a couple of precise shots.
The Snowboar King finally stopped breathing completely.
Dead. For real.